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Move over, Midas! Make Way, Meineke! The Hands-Down Leader for Muffler Repair in Kitsap County WA is Mike’s Kitsap Muffler!

Now with 3 convenient locations to better serve customers throughout Kitsap County WA, Mike’s Kitsap Muffler offers fast and friendly service. From tail pipes and towing packages, to brakes and radiators, Mike’s Kitsap Muffler’s menu of accomplished repair and welding fabrication services is truly impressive!

These guys are the REAL DEAL! They offer superior service, perform excellent work, and all at prices that will make your wallet very happy!…

I recently took my Ford Expedition in for a new tailpipe. I drove up without an appointment and they waited on me immediately! In less than 20 minutes I was back on the road, a new custom-fabricated tailpipe in place, and at half the cost the other guys quoted me!

So the next time your car, truck, motorhome or RV needs a tune-up, oil change, radiator repair, winch installation, exhaust/muffler repair, brakes, hitches, trailer wiring, bike racks, car carrier/luggage rack installation, welding or metal fabrication, call on the awesome folks at Mike’s Kitsap Muffler – Brakes -Welding Automotive Electrical Center!

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional with Keller Williams West Sound, providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, ActiveRain, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Local Business Review: Ethos Builders – The ‘Dock’ Doctor

Here on the scenic Kitsap Peninsula, surrounded by the picturesque waters of the Puget Sound, many homeowners are fortunate to have properties situated on the waterfront. For those with low bank or beach access, a private dock is a highly coveted feature. Boating is a popular recreational pastime in the Pacific Northwest, and having a dock makes private boating even more pleasurable and convenient.

However, the proper upkeep of personal docks can be a challenging task. The elements of nature can exact their toll on dock components, such as decking and hardware.

When the time comes for dock maintenance and repair, it can be a rather daunting process just trying to find someone who not only understands the unique aspects of dock construction, but also possesses the necessary skills to effect lasting repairs.

Ethos Builders LLC, a Poulsbo WA based company, is the one I recommend for such specialized job requirements. Owner Josh Phillips has developed a long-standing reputation in the area for quality workmanship and high customer satisfaction.

Ethos Builders LLC can also design and build your new dock project from start to finish. With their knowledge and expertise on permitting, environmental impact concerns, material choices, and proper construction standards, Ethos Builders LLC can help to make your dock dreams a reality!

So if you’ve been dreaming about a dock, or your dock is in need of its yearly physical, give Josh at Ethos Builders LLC a ring. He makes house calls!

Josh Phillips @ Ethos Builders LLC.  (360) 440-7399;    ethosbuilders@yahoo.com

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional with Windermere Real Estate, providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, ActiveRain, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Tags: dock repair, ethos builders, josh phillips, Kitsap County WA, marinas, marine construction

Okay, so as I mentioned in an earlier article that I was recently invited to a private ‘invitation-only’  pre-Grand Opening dinner at the new Fujiyama Japanese Steak House & Bar, located in the Town Centre Plaza in Silverdale WA.

The official Grand Opening is Wednesday, Dec. 16th.

As most of my regular readers know, a good number of my articles here on SBB highlight local businesses that I personally patronize and recommend. And many of them are restaurants.

And so I was truly honored and impressed when the owner of Fujiyama, Mr. Peter Chen, sent me two certificates for free dinners at their private event.

My wife and I arrived shortly after 7pm and were immediately seated around one of six teppan hotplates.

The first of several ‘pre-opening’ jitters occurred when I attempted to order a tall Sapporo beer. When you go to a Japanese restaurant, you assume they’ll have a selection of Japanese brews. The usual suspects were, in fact, listed on the menu – Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the waitress informed me that they didn’t have any Japanese beers available, and asked if I would like a Bud Light or a Corona? I passed and got water with a lemon wedge instead.

Patterned after the tradition of the restaurant chain,  Misono,  the originators of  teppanyaki-style cooking (similar to Benihana’s here in the US), Fujiyama’s chefs cook meals on gas-heated hotplates that are integrated into tables around which many people (often multiple parties) can sit and eat at once. The chefs perform the cooking in front of the customers, typically with a bit of theatrical flair—such as lighting a volcano-shaped stack of raw onion hoops on fire.

Our teppanyaki chef, Jeremy, was friendly, attentive, and skilled with various utensils/cutlery. He performed the infamous onion volcano, flipped shrimp tails into the air, catching them in his hat, and played ping-pong with a raw egg. Jeremy relocated to Silverdale from Olympia WA, where he was a chef at another Japanese Steak House owned by Mr. Chen.

Unlike some restaurants that charge you for every single course, Fujiyami serves up a wide array of elements as standard with their dinner entrees. You get a bowl of onion soup, a tangy tossed salad, choice of white sticky rice or fried rice, teppan-grilled vegetables with shrimp, and your selected entree. Prices for the dinner faire were fairly moderate, especially given the entertaining aspect of meal preparation.

Which brings me to our 2nd ‘pre-opening jitter. Throughout the evening, as our trusty chef Jeremy was cooking, the exhaust fans in the hood above the hotplate kept blowing smoke in our faces, especially my wife, Janice. Later, after the meal, while we were shopping at Target, we ran into some friends of ours who complimented Janice by saying, “Don’t you smell delicious!”

I ordered the steak and scallops while Janice ordered the Hibachi Chicken. For appetizers, we got the gyoza and fried oysters. Everything was very tasty, especially the teppan-grilled veggies and shrimp. My wife commented that her chicken was a little dry. We sat next to a nice family that had come all the way from Olympia to help support the event. The father was a contractor who had worked on a number of restaurant projects for Mr. Chen and spoke very highly of him.

As we were finishing our meal, ‘pre-opening’ jitter #3 happened – the fire alarm went off! Fortunately, we were at the tail end of our dining adventure and were able to exit before any permanent hearing damage could occur.

Overall, barring the numerous ‘pre-opening’ snafus that every new restaurant encounters, we had a delicious, enjoyable meal. Lord knows Central Kitsap is on the short end of the stick when it comes to fine dining experiences. Fujiyama is not just another place to grab a meal, it’s a fun, entertaining experience centered around good food meant to be shared with friends, or with strangers who will become your friends!

Given Mr. Chen’s proven track record of successful restaurants in Olympia, Las Vegas, Ohio, and Florida, he will no doubt repeat his formula here at Fujiyama Japanese Steak House.

Fujiyama Japanese Steak House & Bar
9989 Silverdale Way NW, #109
Silverdale, WA 98383  (360) 692-5888
Corner of Kitsap Mall Blvd. & Silverdale Way. Same plaza as Big 5 Sports.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, Crabbing in the Hood, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Tags: fujiyama japanese steak house, kitsap couty wa restaurants, local business, Silverdale WA Real Estate, where to eat in kitsap county wa, where to eat in silverdale wa

Okay, so a letter is hand-delivered to my office this past week, personally addressed to Rich Jacobson of SoundBiteBlog, care of Windermere Silverdale, from a Mr. Peter Chen, Owner of Fujiyama Japanese Steak House & Bar.

Inside were two ‘Certificates of Invitation’ granting the bearers a FREE dinner at the VIP Open House of the new Fujiyama Japanese Steak House & Bar. This is an exclusive private open house that is taking place prior to their official Grand Opening on December 16th.

I’ve been watching the progress of Fujiyama as they’ve been moving into their space in the Town Centre complex (Big 5 Sporting Goods, Emerald City Smoothie, Teriyaki Delight). But I’ve never met Mr. Chen.

I’m honored that he would select me as one of their VIP guests. The fact that he knows of SoundBiteBlog and my habit of publishing reviews on local area businesses, shows that he understands the importance of social media, viral marketing, and word of mouth in promoting his new restaurant. I like him already!

I’ll be back next week with a write-up, offering you my usual honest, unadulterated critique on Fujiyama Japanese Steak House & Bar.  Stay Tuned!

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, ActiveRain, Crabbing in the Hood, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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I became a HUGE fan of sushi way before it got all artsy and trendy. My Dad used to entertain his clients a lot when he worked down in the Silicon Valley back in the early 80′s, and would frequent one of the few sushi bars at the time over in Cupertino CA. Of course, he had to indoctrinate his only son and propagate the species, so I reluctantly gave in and accompanied him. It took me several attempts to get beyond the sheer mental obstacle of consuming something slimy that wasn’t cooked (wasn’t there some kind of sanitary law against this?)

Tamago (think scrambled eggs with sugar) was the only item I could stomach at first. But over time, I became rather acclimated,  and quickly sushi became my food group of choice.

Over the years, whenever we’ve moved, one of the first things I’ve done is to scope out the closest and best sources for fresh sushi. Imagine my difficulty when we moved to Lawrence, Kansas?!?! It wasn’t until just before we left town for Washington State that a sushi bar/Japanese restaurant finally came to the area. Go figure!

When we first arrived here in Silverdale, Washington, I naturally assumed that there would be a plethora (thank you, Three Amigos!) of sushi bars and Japanese restaurants, given our close proximity to the oceTan.

NOT!

Silverdale WA currently has three sushi/Japanese restaurants:

Osaka Japanese Restaurant (next to Ted Brown’s Music in the Ross Plaza)

10408 Silverdale Way Nw, Ste. 109
Silverdale, WA 98383 – 360.698.7266

Hakata Japanese Restaurant (behind FedEx/Kinko’s)

10876 NW Myhre Place, Ste. 108
Silverdale, WA 98383 – 360.698.0929

Origami Sushi (in the Red Apple Market plaza)

9523 Silverdale Way NW
Silverdale, WA 98383 – 360.337.7628

I have been to all three places several times. Origami is the newest, but Hakata is by far the best out of the three. Their Crunchy Roll is simply to die for! Origami lacks a tad bit in atmosphere, but at least they have a TV to watch the game! In addition to sushi, they serve up some really awesome Korean Kalbi short ribs. YUM!

My wife and I took a little romantic getaway to Port Townsend a few years back (stay at The Tides Inn) and discovered “Ichikawa Japanese Cuisine” the Olympic Peninsula’s Destination Sushi Bar! They’ve won the ‘Best Japanese Restaurant’ award from the Peninsula Daily News the past four years in a row! They’re located on Water Street, the main thoroughfare through downtown Port Townsend, right next door to the local Windermere Real Estate office (gosh, what a concept. Buy a house, eat some sushi!)

But in all of my efforts to get a worthwhile sushi fix here on the Kitsap Peninsula, my best and most satisfying reward has been with “Sushi Ko” at Central Market in Poulsbo (I recently wrote about Central Market in another blog). Their normal, everyday selection offers some of the freshest and best tasting sushi I have ever had. They offer a wide variety of nigri sushi, sashimi, tekka makis, and rolls. If you want something different or unique, just ask, and they can make it for you while you shop for groceries.

Now granted, you can’t pull up a high-back chair, suck down a few tall Sapporos, and watch the sushi master do his magic. But it is reasonably priced, made fresh, and packaged attractively. So just snag a tall Saporro on your way out, and pork-out in the privacy of your own domain. It goes absolutely perfect with plasma screens and football!

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com and Crabbing in the Hood.

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Tags: good eats, Kitsap County WA, kitsap peninsula, sushi